Holiday Cocktails with a Twist

Over the past year I have fallen in love with cocktails. With the holidays coming I’m actually having fun figuring out what kind of seasonal cocktails I can make.

I spent some time on Pinterest and created a board [here] of recipes I want to try. Check it out for some cocktail inspo!

I love to use essential oils in my cocktails to give them a special twist so I’ve been experimenting with some of these recipes for my holiday parties (or movie night with the hubs).

Essential Oils that work well in Cocktails

Ginger: I made this Spiced Pear Apple Cocktail with 1 drop of ginger essential oil instead of adding fresh ginger. It was AMAZING!!!

Lime: Although I love fresh lime in cocktails and it’s easy to come by Lime essential oil has a different twist because it comes from the rind and not the flesh of the fruit. If you haven’t tried Lime essential oil it’s definitely a must. It is a wonderful addition to drinks like this Cranberry Lime Rosemary White Wine Spritzer. 1 drop per drink will do ya.

Cardamom: Cardamom pods are not so easy to find unless you have an ethnic spice store near you. In drinks like this Ginger, Cardamom, Rosemary Gin cocktail use cardamom oil in the simple syrup instead of soaking cardamom pods for more flavor.

Peppermint or Spearmint: Instead of using extracts try 1 drop of essential oil. Go easy though these are strong but they work really well. Peppermint works particularly well in spiked hot chocolate recipes like these.

Lemon or Orange: Like lime, lemon and orange essential oils have a different flavor than the fruit and can add different, more mellow tones to your cocktails. Give them a try! This old fashioned recipe would be a good one to add orange oil to the simple syrup.

Tips for using essential oils in drinks

Mix well. Essential oils behave like like oil in liquids. When you add them they will sit on top of your water or liquid so you need to mix them up. Once mixed though they will stay mixed.

If you are using essential oils in cocktails and you use a cocktail shaker wash it out well between uses or the oil residue will get into other drinks you make.

Don’t heat the oils if you can avoid it. In order to keep the health benefits alive add the oils to simple syrups once they have cooled instead of during cooking.

Don’t be afraid to experiment! The whole point of making cocktails is for fun so enjoy!